Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
SpeakmanEnglish English (chiefly Lancashire) nickname or occupational name for someone who acted as a spokesman, from Middle English spekeman ‘advocate’, ‘spokesman’ (from Old English specan to speak + mann ‘man’).
SpeedEnglish A nickname for a fortunate person, from Middle English sped, "success".
SpeerGerman, Dutch, English from Middle High German Middle Dutch sper "spear" hence a nickname for a tall thin person or else for a skilled user of the hunting spear... [more]
SpellingEnglish, Irish, Jewish Occupational name for a scholar, speaker or a story teller, derived from Middle English spellan meaning "to tell or relate". It could also be a variant of Irish Spillane or Jewish Spellman... [more]
SpenderEnglish Occupational name for a paymaster or someone in charge of finances, from Old English spendan "to spend" and Latin expendere "to pay out".
SpendloveEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone who spread their amorous affections around freely. A different form of the surname was borne by Dora Spenlow, the eponymous hero's "child-wife" in Charles Dickens's 'David Copperfield' (1849-50).... [more]
SpiceEnglish From Middle English spice meaning "spice", referring to a spice dealer or an apothecary.
SpicerEnglish, Jewish, Polish English: occupational name for a seller of spices, Middle English spic(i)er (a reduced form of Old French espicier, Late Latin speciarius, an agent derivative of species ‘spice’, ‘groceries’, ‘merchandise’).... [more]
SpierEnglish An English surname, meaning "the one who watches".
SpillmanEnglish From the medieval male personal name Spileman, literally "acrobat" or "jester" (from a derivative of Middle English spillen "to play, cavort").
SpindlerEnglish, German, Jewish Occupational name for a spindle maker, from an agent derivative of Middle English spindle, Middle High German spindel, German Spindel, Yiddish shpindl "spindle, distaff".
SpoonEnglish Apparently a metonymic occupational name either for a maker of roofing shingles or spoons, from Old English spon "chip, splinter" (see also Spooner).
SpoorsEnglish, Dutch Metonymic occupational name for a maker of spurs, a lorimer, from Middle Dutch spore, Middle English spore, spure ‘spur’.
SpragueEnglish English from northern Middle English Spragge, either a personal name or a byname meaning "lively", a metathesized and voiced form of "spark."
SpringallEnglish Means (i) "operator of a springald (a type of medieval siege engine)" (from Anglo-Norman springalde); or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a youthful person (from Middle English springal "youth").
SpringerGerman, English, Dutch, Jewish Nickname for a lively person or for a traveling entertainer. It can also refer to a descendant of Ludwig der Springer (AKA Louis the Springer), a medieval Franconian count who, according to legend, escaped from a second or third-story prison cell by jumping into a river after being arrested for trying to seize County Saxony in Germany.
SpurrierEnglish Derived from the Old French word “esperonier,” meaning “to spur on”. It was likely given as a nickname to someone who was known for encouraging or motivating others. The name could have also referred to someone who was skilled at using spurs to control horses.
SquibbEnglish Nickname for an irascible, unpredictable or petty person, derived from Middle English squibbe meaning "firework, firecracker". A famous bearer is the American actress June Squibb (1929-).
SquireEnglish Surname comes from the occupation of a Squire. A young man who tends to a knight.
SquiresEnglish Surname is plural of Squire. A young person that tends to his knight, also someone that is a member of a landowner class that ranks below a knight.
StallardEnglish Byname for a valiant or resolute person, from a reduced pronunciation of Middle English stalward, stalworth "stalwart" (an Old English compound of stǣl "place" and wierðe "worthy").
StanawayEnglish Possibly a variant form of English Stanway, a habitational name from any of the places called Stanaway, in Essex, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, all named with Old English stān ‘stone’ + weg ‘track’, ‘road’
StancilEnglish English habitational name from a place so named in South Yorkshire.
StancliffEnglish Habitational name from Scout in Northowram (Yorkshire) recorded as Staynclif in 1309 and Stancliff Skoute (the home of Edward Stankliff) in 1536. The placename derives from Old English stan "stone rock" with influence from Old Norse steinn "stone rock" and Old English clif "cliff bank" later with Middle English scoute "projecting cliff overhanging rock" (Old Norse skúti).
StandenEnglish Habitational name predominantly from Standen in Pendleton (Lancashire) and Standean in Ditchling (Sussex) but also from other places similarly named including Standen in East Grinstead (Sussex) Standen in Biddenden (Kent) Standen in Benenden (Kent) Upper and Lower Standen in Hawkinge (Kent) Standen (Berkshire Wiltshire Isle of Wight) and Standon (Devon Hampshire Hertfordshire Staffordshire)... [more]
StandishEnglish Habitational name Standish (Lancashire Now Part Of Greater Manchester, and Yorkshire) meaning Old English Stān ‘Stone Rock’ + Edisc ‘Enclosure; or Enclosed Park’.
StanwickEnglish Habitational name from a place so called in Northamptonshire, named in Old English with stan ‘stone’ + wic ‘outlying dairy farm’.
StanwyckEnglish Variant spelling of Stanwick. This name was borne by the American actress, model and dancer Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990).
StaplefordEnglish Habitational name from any of a number of places, in Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Wiltshire, so named from Old English stapol meaning "post" + ford meaning "ford".
StapletonEnglish Habitational surname from any of various places in England.
StarGerman, Dutch, Jewish, English German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from German Star, Middle High German star, ‘starling’, probably denoting a talkative or perhaps a voracious person.... [more]
StarbuckEnglish After Starbeck village in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. A famous bearer of this name was the fictional character, Starbuck, the first mate of the Pequod in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick.
StarkeyEnglish, German From a diminutive of Stark. This surname is borne by the English musician Sir Richard Starkey (1940-), also known as Ringo Starr.
StellEnglish Unknown origin, possibly a variant of Steel, from the English word "steel", originating in Yorkshire, UK. Alternatively, it may be derived from North German dialect word stel meaning "bog", denoting someone who lived near a marsh; or from Latin stella meaning "star", eg for a person who lived at an inn with a star on its sign.
StemleEnglish FROM KUPPENHEIM, BADEN, GERMANY, WHERE IT WAS (AND IS TODAY) SPELLED WITH 2 Ms: STEMMLE.... [more]
StensonEnglish From the name of a hamlet (now called Twyford and Stenson) in Derbyshire, England. The name is a combination of the Old Norse name Steinn and Old English tun "settlement, enclosure".
StentEnglish (Archaic) Derived from the Old Norse name Steinn meaning "stone". Recorded in several forms including Stein, Steen, Stone and Ston, this surname is english. It is perhaps not surprisingly one of the first recorded surnames anywhere in the world.... [more]
SterkenDutch, English Means "strong". Derived either from the Old English term sterċan, meaning "to make rigid", or from the Old Saxon sterkian and Old High German sterken, both meaning "to strengthen."
SterleyEnglish This is an English locational surname. Recorded as Starley, Stearley, Sterley, Sturley, and others, it originates from a place called 'ster-leah', meaning "steer" or "cattle farm". However no such place in any of the known surname spellings is to be found in England, although there is place called Starleyburn in Fifeshire in Scotland... [more]
StevenScottish, English, Dutch, Low German From the personal name Steven, a vernacular form of Latin Stephanus, Greek Stephanos "crown". This was a popular name throughout Christendom in the Middle Ages, having been borne by the first Christian martyr, stoned to death at Jerusalem three years after the death of Christ... [more]
StewardEnglish Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard".
StiffEnglish (American) Used sometimes as a derogatory term, stiff means uptight. It is used in a surname in American culture as well as in the media, such as novels, movies or tv shows.
StinchcombEnglish Habitational name from Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire, recorded in the 12th century as Stintescombe, from the dialect term stint meaning "sandpiper" + cumb meaning "narrow valley".
StinsonEnglish, Scottish This is one of the many patronymic forms of the male given name Stephen, i.e. son of Stephen. From these forms developed the variant patronymics which include Stim(p)son, Stenson, Steenson, and Stinson.
StiverEnglish Occupational name from Old French “estivur” meaning “plowman”, coming from Latin “stivarius”. This has also been used as a name for someone who played the stive, a type of bagpipe.
St JamesEnglish St. James has English and French origins and is a rare surname in the United States.
St LegerIrish, English Anglo-Irish surname, from one of the places in France called Saint-Léger, which were named in honour of St. Leodegar.
St MaryEnglish, French This name is probably used in reference to Mary, Mother of Jesus or one of the many places called St Mary.
St NicholasEnglish Indicated the original bearer was from a place named after Saint Nicholas.
StoakleyEnglish This is an English locational name of Anglo-Saxon origin. The meaning is either the wood from which stocks, that is to say tree stumps or logs were obtained and derived from the Old English pre 7th Century word stocc, meaning a stump and leah, "a wood or glade"... [more]
StoaksEnglish A name of unknown meaning that was brought to Britain as a result of the Norman Conquest.
StockdaleEnglish Habitational name from a place in Cumbria and North Yorkshire, England. Derived from Old English stocc "tree trunk" and dæl "valley".
StockeEnglish English: A topographic name for someone who lived near the trunk or stump of a large tree, Middle English Stocke (Old English Stocc)... [more]
StockholmDanish (Rare), English (American) Danish variant of Stokholm. English usage could be a habitational name for someone from Stockholm, Sweden (see Stockholm), but this etymology does not apply to Scandinavian usage of the name.
StockingEnglish Topographic name from Middle English stocking 'ground cleared of stumps'.
StockleyEnglish Derived from Old english stocc (tree bark) and leah (clearing), indicating that the original bearer of this name lived in a wooded clearing.
StocktonEnglish Habitational surname for a person from any of the places (e.g. Cheshire, County Durham, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and North and West Yorkshire) so called from Old English stocc "tree trunk" or stoc "dependent settlement" + tun "enclosure", "settlement".
StockwellEnglish An English boy's name meaning "From the tree stump spring"
StonestreetEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a paved road, in most cases a Roman road, from Middle English stane, stone, "stone" and street "paved highway", "Roman road".
StonorEnglish Locational name from a village in Oxfordshire, England. The name comes from Old English stán "stony" and the place was named for a stone circle on the land.
StormEnglish, Low German, Dutch, Scandinavian Nickname for a man of blustery temperament, from Middle English, Middle Low German, storm, Old Norse stormr "storm".
StoterEnglish (Modern) Of Dutch origin and still in use there in a restricted region. Herder of large animals such as cattle or horses. May share a root with Ostler (unverified). Note: Stot in Scottish dialect still means a young bull.... [more]
StoutScottish, English Probably a nickname for a brave or powerfully built man, from Middle English stout ‘steadfast’. A contrary origin derives from the Old Norse byname Stútr ‘gnat’, denoting a small and insignificant person.
StrattonEnglish English: habitational name from any of various places, in Bedfordshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, and Wiltshire, so named from Old English str?t ‘paved highway’, ‘Roman road’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’... [more]
StreamEnglish English topographic name for someone who lived beside a stream, Middle English streme. Americanized form of Swedish Ström or Danish Strøm (see Strom).
StreteEnglish Strete is derived from Old English "Straet" which, in turn is derived from the latin "strata". This surname has spelling variants including, Streeter, Street, Straight, and Streeten. The first occurrences of this surname include Modbert de Strete of Devon (1100), AEluric de Streitun and his heir Roger (at the time of Henry de Ferrers) and Eadric Streona, Ealdorman of Mercia.
StriblingEnglish From a medieval nickname for a youthful or inexperienced person (from Middle English stripling "youth").
StriderEnglish Likely an anglicized variation of the Dutch term "Strijder" or German term "Streiter," this surname represents an occupational designation for a soldier or a descriptive term for someone with a combative demeanor.... [more]
StringfellowEnglish Nickname for a powerful man, Middle English streng ‘mighty’, ‘strong’ + felaw ‘fellow’ (see Fellows).
StrohEnglish, German Means "straw" when translated from German, indicating a thin man, a person with straw-colored hair, or a dealer of straw.
StrollEnglish Stroll comes from the English word meaning to walk without hurry, probably for someone who liked to walk.
StuckeyEnglish Stuckey was first found in Devonshire where they held family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence diminished after the battle of Hastings in 1066. For the next three centuries the Norman ambience prevailed... [more]
StudleyEnglish From any number of places called Studley in Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and North Yorkshire. The name comes from Old English stod "stud farm" + leah "pasture".
StukeleyEnglish From a surname meaning "woodland clearing with tree stumps" in Old English.
SturdivantEnglish Perhaps a nickname for messenger, a pursuivant or a hasty person, derived from Middle English stirten, sterten meaning "to start, leap" (ultimately from Old English styrtan) and avaunt meaning "forward" (itself from Old French).
SucklingEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone of childlike appearance or childish character (from Middle English suckling "infant still feeding on its mother's milk"). Sir John Suckling (1609-1642) was an English poet and dramatist.
SugarbakerEnglish Occupational name for an owner of a sugar-house, a factory where raw sugar was made or refined, derived from Middle English sugre, suker meaning "sugar" and bakere meaning "baker".
SummerEnglish, German From Middle English sum(m)er, Middle High German sumer "summer", hence a nickname for someone of a warm or sunny disposition, or for someone associated with the season of summer in some other way.
SummerhaysEnglish Probably means "person living by a summer enclosure (where animals were grazed on upland pastures in the summer)" (from Middle English sumer "summer" + hay "enclosure").
SummerleeEnglish (Rare) This surname is originated from Old English sumer meaning "summer" and leah meaning "clearing, meadow."
SummersetEnglish Regional surname for someone from Somerset, an area in England. The name is derived from Old English sumer(tun)saete meaning "dwellers at the summer settlement".
SumterEnglish This surname is derived from an official title. 'the sumpter.' Old French sommetier, a packhorseman, one who carried baggage on horseback
SunderEnglish From Sanskrit sundara‘beautiful’. This is only a given name in India, but has come to be used as a family name in the U.S.
SunderlandEnglish Habitational name from any of the locations with the name 'Sunderland', most notably the port city County Durham. This, along with other examples in Lancashire, Cumbria and Northumberland derives from either Old English sundor 'seperate' and land 'land' or Old Norse suðr 'southern' and land 'land' (see Sutherland)... [more]
SurreyEnglish Regional name for someone from the county of Surrey.
SurridgeEnglish From the medieval personal name Seric, a descendant of both Old English Sǣrīc, literally "sea power", and Sigerīc, literally "victory power".
SurridgeEnglish Originally meant "person from Surridge", Devon ("south ridge").
SurridgeEnglish Meant "person from the south" (from Old French surreis "southerner").
SusanEnglish Comes from the female personal name Susanna, Susanne (Middle English), Susanna (Dutch), from Hebrew Shushannah ‘lily’, ‘lily of the valley’... [more]
SussexEnglish Derived from an English county name meaning "region of the Saxons from the south" in Old English.